One was a defensive star, the unquestioned best player in Steelers history. He was the foundation on which the franchise’s Super Bowl dynasty of the 1970s was built.

The other was an offensive standout, the running back who pushed the Steelers over the top to greatness. He ran and ran and ran, all the way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe Greene and Franco Harris.

It seemed right to call Greene as the one-year anniversary of Harris’ sudden, unexpected, horribly timed death approached. He eagerly took the call, glad to talk about his great teammate and better friend, a man who, like Roberto and Mario and Sid and Ben, doesn’t need a last name in this town.

“I still can’t believe it,” Greene said from his home in Grand Prairie, Texas. “I’ve been trying to get over it. I can’t get past it. I think about him all the time. All the time. All the time.”